The Evil You Know
by kira-nerys
Summary: Dukat goes to extremes to prove to Kira he's not the worst of the bunch...


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THE EVIL YOU KNOW...   
**Comments**: Send your comments after reading to:  
[kira-nerys@geocities.com][1]

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Synopsis: Kira is kidnapped by Dukat. He is determined to show her that he isn't such a bad person after all and he is willing to go to very great lengths to prove it to her. 

Even disrupt the timeline and risk his own life, his very existence. 

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Author's note: This story came to me after watching "Wrongs Darker than Death or Night". I wondered what would have happened way back when if Dukat never had become the Prefect of Bajor. I wondered what would happen if Kira were to find out that Dukat wasn't the horrible person he had been made out to be by Bajoran Resistance fighters and even by his own people. 

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Disclaimer: As usual, all characters in this story are the property of Paramount Pictures and Viacom. I haven't stolen them I have only borrowed them as a vehicle to explore my own ideas for the characters. The plot itself however is my own © -98 by kira-nerys

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Archiving and Downloading: You may download this for your own reading pleasure, but please don't forward it or spread it without my consent. Don't archive without permission. Thank you kira-nerys

| [Part 1][2] | [Part 2][3] | [Part 3][4] | [Part 4][5] | [Part 5][6] | [Part 6][7] | [Part 7][8] | 

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*** Abduction - Part 1 ***

Kira's eyes opened. She didn't really know what woke her, but it was something unfamiliar Wide awake, she was just about to bounce out of bed when a noise caught her attention. It came from the left corner of her quarters, right beside the door, and the noise made her hesitate. The truth dawned on her - there was someone in there and she slowly reached for the bedside table to grab a hold of her phaser. 

"Why, Major. That is no way to treat a friend!" a voice offered from the darkness of her quarters. It was filled with amusement, but Kira didn't stop for a moment. She firmly took the phaser and directed it at the sound of the voice. 

"Dukat! What are you doing in my quarters?" Kira spat. Fear almost grabbed a hold of her but she suppressed it with great determination. Knowing what Captain Sisko had said about Dukat - and his less than stable mind - she knew she did have reasons to fear him. 

A slow movement from the shadows made her entire body tense, and her grip around the cool metal of the phaser tightened instinctively. Her heart was beating faster and she couldn't understand what Dukat wanted or what he was doing in her quarters. 

"I didn't want to have this meeting in front of the entire station. Your other friends don't seem to care much for me any more!"

"My friends *never* cared for you, Dukat! And you are most definitely not one of them!" she spat. 

"You don't know how much it pains me to hear you say that!" Dukat said with that rich voice forcing its soft melody into her ear. His expression giving way that he indeed meant it. 

"I don't care if it kills you to hear that! Fact is—I would rather enjoy if it did!" Kira said. "Now, tell me what you want and get out of here."

"You and I have to take a little trip together, Major!" he said. "I have something to show you."

"I am not interested in seeing anything you have to show me!" Kira said. "And if I have anything to say in the matter" she waved the phaser to make a point. " I am not going *anywhere* with you!"

Dukat moved closer to her bed. His body making rarely a sound as he sneaked up on her. Kira lifted the phaser higher, to aim at his lower abdomen. 

  
//What does he have in mind? What is it that is so important to show me of all people? // Kira thought to herself and swallowed hard. She refused to show him how intimidating his presence in her quarters really was to her. //You have never been afraid of Dukat - so you better not start now Nerys!// she told herself. 

Thoughts of how Dukat had managed to beam into her quarters without being detected flooded her mind. Why did he risk being detected and caught by the Federation? Why did he put himself at risk only to *show* her something? Had Dukat's deranged mind finally caught up with him?

Dukat chuckled lightly as Kira changed the setting from stun' to kill'.   
"Stop right there!" she demanded. 

Dukat's chuckle evolved into a rich laughter, which annoyed her immensely. Then he offered. 

"Don't you need this to be able to use that!" he said and held up a power cell in front of her. "You didn't think I was so stupid as to leave the phaser fully intact now did you?" he said with his eyes sparkling. 

Kira's gaze quickly flew to the phaser in her hand and she suddenly realized that the power cell had indeed been removed. She had to think fast and leapt to her feet in a graceful movement. But Dukat was faster. Until now, he had just been standing there, for only the Prophets knew how long, waiting for her to wake up - and go at him. But as soon as she flew at him, he grabbed a hold of her so quickly she didn't know what happened. 

In an instant he had a firm hold of her wrists and held her tightly in an iron grip. She tried to kick him, but he just pulled her closer to him. She could feel his warm legs catching hold of her own and she was caught, unable to move at all. Strong as she was, she had no chance of escaping from the cool, very strong male who held her captive. The closeness to him made her shudder. She had never been so close to him before, and certainly not while she was so scantily clad. It made her feel very uncomfortable. 

Dukat grinned, as if he took great pleasure in her discomfiture. 

"I don't think you have much choice now Major. You'll have to come with me. I think it is about time you and I had this little experiment!" 

Dukat smiled widely as if the entire situation made him incredibly amused. The prospect of him, being in her quarters, holding her in his grip without anyone else knowing about it, titillated him. Seeing him eye her down made her blood boil - with anger. And she pulled away. Strangely enough he let go of her.

Kira knew, without looking around, that her communicator was incapacitated as well. Even if it hadn't been, she had no way of reaching it to call for help. 

"I will take you to a place where the past will catch up on us and either be resolved or changed forever!" he calmly explained and stared intensely into her eyes. His gaze was strong and she could not look away, however much she wanted to.

"I will take you to the only place that could ever prove what your life would be like if you had never met me. If I had been killed during the Occupation of Bajor!"

Kira's eyes flew open. 

"And how do you intend to accomplish that?" she managed to say.   
Dukat smiled at her as she felt the cool pressure of a hypospray against her naked arm. That very instant blackness fell upon her and she knew nothing more. 

* * *

The stars swizzled by the window like water from a high cliff, but Dukat paid no attention to it. Perhaps his being in space for so long, so many times had made him immune to its beauty and the fascinating, constantly changing scenarios that flew by. 

He was sitting by the Helms panel of a runabout, which he had purchased from one of the greediest Ferengi he had ever come in contact with. But for once, a Ferengi had shown to be trustworthy, because the vehicle was up to specs and ran smoothly through the vast ocean of stars, closing in on the planet beneath - Bajor. 

* * *

Kiras vision was blurred and she felt slightly nauseated. Despite these facts she tried to sit up from the floor where she was lying. Her hands were tied to her back, and they were totally numb. She was still wearing only her nightgown and it lay curled around her hips, showing a lot more of her body than she would have preferred. 

Her legs were so tightly knit together it was a wonder that she could even pull herself to sitting position. She blinked several times to sharpen her vision and look at the man who had abducted her. It took a while before she could make use of the information her eyes provided. But she soon realized that they were in a shuttle, the viewscreen left nothing to imagination. The planet taking up almost all of it was her homeplanet. 

Dukat sat leisurely by the helm's panel with a cup in his hand, slowly sipping from it while watching the stars through the sidewindows. 

"What are you doing? Why are you taking me to Bajor?" she said with a weak voice. She tried to clear her throat but it was dryer than the Cardassian deserts. 

"Oh, are we thirsty, Major?" he questioned her as he gracefully lifted his feet from the panel and put them on the floor in a flowing movement. He slid up from the chair and bent down beside her. 

"Care for a drink?" he said and held out his cup in front of her. She turned her head away. His chuckle made her want to hit him in his ridged face. But he got up and said calmly. 

"If you are so afraid of Cardassian bacteria. Maybe you aren't that thirsty after all?"

Kira couldn't even answer. Her mouth was too dry and she craved the liquid he had offered her, even if it meant drinking from the same cup as he had. But she refused to acknowledge it. He laughed at her and moved to the replicator. 

"A glass of water, 12 degrees Celsius" he ordered. Then he took the glass in his hand and crossed the distance between them in a few efficient steps.   
"Here you go Major. I do not want you to suffer. That is not why we are here" he explained. 

// And exactly 'why' are we here? // Kira wondered but didn't ask. Instead she drank thirstily from the glass, filled with perfectly tempered liquid, that he held to her mouth. She could feel the cool water miss her mouth and go trickling downwards, along her chin, down to her throat. Dukat reached out with his hand and carefully wiped it off before it made its way underneath the collar of her nightgown. Kira tensed at his touch, but she didn't comment his actions. 

"You don't want me to suffer?" she growled. "Then you can start by untying these and bring me back to the station."

// And give me some clothes// she thought, but she didn't dare mention it. Prophets only knew what Dukat would do if he actually became aware of her less than sufficient clothing. 

"I am sorry Major, but this I cannot do. If I bring you back to the Station we will go back to square one. Our relationship will remain at status quo - at best. At worst you will hate me even more for trying to abduct you" he stated matter-of-factly. "And I am sure Captain Sisko would just love to see to it that his interrupted plans for me were reinforced. And I do want to avoid being sentenced to death by the Federation as a war criminal" he grinned. He didn't appear too worried that this might actually happen. 

"And what is it that you will do on Bajor that will change this?" she asked, with an involuntary tone of curiosity in her voice.

Dukat smiled at her.

"You will see, Major. I promise. You will see."

Kira understood that she wouldn't get any more out of him. That was something she had always known about Dukat. How much he loved the secrecy - the mind-games, teasing and making her angry. How he was able to go on and on and on. Talk for minutes - hours on end without really saying anything. So she silenced herself and tried to sit comfortably on the floor of the shuttle. 

They sat that way, without speaking at all, until the Cardassian tensed and concentrated on the panels in front of him. 

"What is it, Dukat?" she asked. 

"Nothing you need to worry about my dear. We are approaching Bajor and I have to engage the scatteringfield so that we will go undetected."

He turned around and grinned at her. 

"You didn't think I would waltz into Bajoran space only to be captured, now did you Major? As usual, you underestimate my cleverness!"

"And you are your usual modest self, I hear!" she muttered sarcastically. He just laughed at her comment. 

Moments later she could feel the shuttle descending toward the surface of her homeworld 

****

*** The Sanctuary - Part 2*** 

Dukat wondered what Kira would think if she knew what he was prepared to do. 

// Will she try to stop me? Or will she be delighted at the idea of what I am planning to do? Or is there some stupid Starfleet protocol she will feel obligated to follow even though she isn't Starfleet personnel herself? //

A determined look appeared on Dukat's Cardassian features and he shook his head. It didn't really matter, since after all, she wouldn't be able to do anything about it. He had made up his mind and once he had, there was no turning back. 

He pushed open the door to the Monastery with his foot. He had put her to sleep again, so she had to carry her, but that was a delight. 

He didn't mind cradling her slender body in his arms. In fact, he quite enjoyed it. He guessed Kira would scream if she knew. But he smiled mischievously to himself. He took great pleasure in knowing how little she would enjoy lying in his arms if she had been awake. And he took even more pleasure in how little there was she could do about it. He had tranquilized her while she was eating. It had gone so quickly, she hadn't even seen it coming. 

He rested his eyes on her body. He wished he had made her dress properly before abducting her. Her slender body was barely covered to its thighs by the nightgown she had been wearing when he abruptly woke her up. Her ivory skin made his thoughts wander to areas he didn't want them to. He had a mission to accomplish and he had no intention of being distracted by the Major and her - attributes. He looked at her, sleeping contentedly in his arms and again became awestruck at how smoothly his plan had went. 

// Amazing that // he thought. // how easy it had been. She was usually so quick, so unpredictable I suppose I must have caught her really of guard. // he concluded. 

The tranquilizer had been necessary, since he didn't want to have to worry about all the noises she could be making if he had let her stay awake. Even if he had gagged her she could have made too much noise. Someone could have overheard her, and his carefully laid out plan would have been ruined. 

He had planned this for some time now. It had taken a long time for him to get over Ziyal's brutal death. A long time to gain his strength and recover his keen mind. He shuddered at the thought of how close he had become to being swallowed by the dark abyss that was his mind. Right after his daughter had gone to join the Prophets - he 'had' been mad - for a while. Sisko could attest to that. 

All the things that had occurred between him and Captain Sisko only a couple of months ago made him sick to his stomach. 

// All I ever wanted from that man was his respect! // Dukat thought. // Instead - he pushed me over the edge! //

Dukat felt the rage get a hold of him again. Well - he would prove Captain Sisko wrong, he would prove Kira wrong. He would prove them *all* wrong! 

The anger subsided just as quickly as it had taken a hold of him. This was the right thing to do. He would make amends. 

And he might be able to meet Ziyal again. He'd like to think that his beautiful daughter had indeed been accepted by the Bajoran 'gods' rather than believing in the Cardassian way of looking upon death. Cardassians did not have any beliefs in either reincarnation or afterlife. When you were dead you were dead. But Ziyal wasn't gone - not entirely. He could feel her soft voice whispering in his ear sometimes. That voice was what had finally brought him back from the precipice that was his mind, after she had died. 

And now? Now he was hoping to join his daughter on the other side. 

He was hoping that Ziyal, the only one who had truly loved him during his entire *miserable* life, had spoken well of him to the Prophets. Spoken so well of him that he, too, would be accepted into their realm after he was gone. 

If not, at least he hoped his death would do some good. 

He hoped that what Kira believed would be true. Maybe by doing this he could undo some of the wrongs he had made in his life. He smiled and brushed his finger against Kira's pale cheek. She looked serene where she lay in his arms. She would indeed believe that he was still stark-raving mad if she could have read his mind. 

From her point of view, he had never done anything good for the Bajoran people - and him asking for acceptance from the Prophets must seem like an atrocity. 

He entered the monastery and carefully put Kira down. Her legs lay sprawled on the marble floor and he gently pushed them together, hoping this would make her feel less uncomfortable once she woke up. Gently he pulled the nightgown over her bare thighs. He didn't want her to believe he had taken advantage while she was so vulnerable. 

He had removed the shackles on her arms and legs as soon as he put her to sleep. 

He knew she would know what he was up to the very moment she woke up. But he hoped that, by then, it would be too late. That by then he would have accomplished what he came here to do. 

Slowly he sat down on the floor in front of the Orb of Time and without hesitation, the Cardassian former Gul, opened its doors. He was flooded by its eerie, bright - but still, somehow, soothing light. A flash hit him and he shuddered, closing his eyes for only a fraction of a second. The very next moment he stood, on the Promenade, at Terok Nor 

* * *

Kira woke up and rubbed her eyes. It felt like she had done nothing but wake up from sleep or unconsciousness for a very long time. She had no idea how much time had passed. Her head was aching and she wasn't exactly feeling any better now than she did the first time she woke up from the deep sleep provoked by the sleeping-drug Dukat had given her. 

She pushed herself up from the cold floor and rubbed her lower back. It was aching from lying on the floor for so long. However, she had risen too hastily, she realized as a sudden shock of dizziness took hold of her. She grabbed onto the pillar next to her until the dizzy-spell had left her. Again, she tried to lift her head - slowlier this time, she looked around, uncertain of where she was. But only a heartbeat later she realized where Dukat had taken her. She was at the monastery, where the vedeks were guarding the Orb of Time! 

Kira spun around, startled. Where was Dukat? Where had he gone off to, and why had he left her there, on the floor? 

"Damn you, Dukat!" she cursed.

//Why can't that Cardassian stay out of my life? By the name of the Prophets, I wish that man had never been born! //

//What was he up to? Why had Dukat brought her with him to this place? // 

But as she spun around, cursing, she saw him sitting there. His slender body was flowing in the comfortable light from the Orb of Time. And Kira realized this was the reason he - and she - was here - to consult the Orb of Time - but why?

// What would be the purpose of Dukat seeking guidance from the Orb of Time? Why would *he* want to take a journey through time? // she wondered. 

Her body tensed with anxiety at the image of the Cardassian Gul straddled at the foot of the Orb. His face was oblivious to the surroundings. His mind on a journey she could not participate in. 

// Or could she? How would she be able to find out what Dukat was up to? How could she stop what he was doing? // 

Kira was certain she had to stop him. Because she just knew, no good could come from a Cardassian consulting the Bajoran oracles. 

She looked around. The monastery was still dark and empty. She wondered where the guards were. 

// How come no one saw the Dukat carrying my limp body into the sanctuary? How come he was been able to sneak in here without being stopped? //

But she realized that wasn't the issue at hand. There was something far more important going on here. And she was the only one who knew there was something wrong. *She* was the only one who could stop Dukat. 

* * * 

Kira drew a deep breath and turned toward the stiff, almost lifeless body of the Gul, sitting on the floor, surrounded by his own reality.

Careful not to push him away or hurt him, she crept in, underneath his outstretched arms, which were still holding the doors to the chamber where the Orb was resting on its pedestal. Then she straddled over his slender legs and smiled wryly to herself. She had never - ever - imagined herself voluntarily crawling into Dukat's lap. Especially not this way, wearing less than a Bajoran Comfort Girl during the Occupation. 

She was reluctant to do this. Still fresh in her memory was the last time she consulted the Orb of Time, when she had found out that her mother had been a collaborator and Dukat's mistress 

But now she had no choice. Trying to make herself comfortable sitting in Dukat's arms, she closed her eyes, relaxed and then opened them again, letting herself be flooded by the light from the Orb. 

***** By His Own Hand - Part 3 *** **

Dukat felt a tingling feeling overwhelm him. Then a slight dizziness. And suddenly the scenery changed dramatically as he was pulled into the Orb's dimension. He found himself standing in Quark's bar at Terok Nor. 

He turned around and shuddered at his face. His features were different. He could see it mirrored from one of Quark's elaborate decorations. But he didn't have time to examine them closely. The bar being the place he remembered from long ago. From the time when he wasn't yet the Prefect of Bajor. From the time when he and Tora Naprem were lovers. Right after Ziyal's birth, he thought and felt a pang of sadness grip his heart. 

As he turned around to glance at the people in the bar, he could see his former lover sitting on a barstool at Quark's counter, absentmindedly sipping from a glass of Kanar. She had always liked that drink, he suddenly remembered, something he thought was long forgotten. He recognized the scenery. He knew Naprem was waiting for him to show up. For him to take her back to Bajor after a meeting with one of his superiors. Back to see his illegitimate daughter. 

His eyes stopped as he saw his alter ego enter Quark's bar with another man at his side. He remembered that man. His name was Legate Tehour. A cold-blooded man, whose place he had managed to take by using his cunning and his connections on Cardassia. Hadn't it been for him, Legate Tehour would probably have been the Prefect of Bajor instead of himself. But that didn't matter now. Perhaps by ending his life long before he met Major Kira, he could change Bajor's destiny? Maybe he could change Major Kira's entire life? Perhaps his daughter Ziyal would live? Maybe the Major was right - maybe Bajor would have done better if he hadn't been around? 

// It is worth a chance // 

He scratched his nose and suddenly realized his features weren't Cardassian. They were Bajoran. He turned around to look into Quark's decorations again. There was an elaborate crystalline decoration reflecting his image by a tenfold. Staring back at him was the face of a young Bajoran. A Bajoran female no less. He leaned forward over Quark's counter to examine himself - herself, he corrected and grinned wryly. 

The grin widened as he realized that a Bajoran - an anonymous female - would become his bane. 

// What poetic justice! The Emissary would have loved this! // 

He turned around to look at the entrance to Quark's, feeling a tingling in his neck, which told him that he - the Dukat of this timeperiod - was coming closer. He lifted his head and watched his counterpart as he leaned forward and whispered something into Naprem's ear. 

// I told her how much I loved her// he suddenly remembered. // How much I loved her and that I was sorry I was late. Narai...// 

Naprem turned around from the counter at the bar and gently kissed his alter ego. 

// I can still feel the touch of her lips against mine. She told me that she loved me as well // 

She was his lover, his concubine. Such things were accepted among the Cardassian soldiers, but nobody would ever have accepted finding out that he was the father of a bastard girl and he would have become the laughing stock among his soldiers if they had ever found out how much he had indeed loved Naprem. 

Dukat turned around in his unfamiliar body, scoping the surroundings. A Cardassian soldier was standing right next to him, and he thought about reaching out to grab a hold of his phaser. To kill his alter ego right then and there. 

At that moment he could feel a *presence* taking over the body he possessed. A soft voice whispered in his ear. 

(Dukat - no!) 

It was the desperate tone of Major Kira's melodic voice. He stopped cold in his tracks. 

* * * 

Kira was sucked into the Orb. Quickly she tried to collect herself to be able to assess the situation. She suspected she might have very little time to stop Dukat and whatever insane plan he had made up in that screwed up mind of his. 

She felt herself standing by the bar at Quark's, next to a Cardassian soldier. 

(What are you doing here?) he asked.   
(I have to stop you!)  
(Stop me from doing *what*?)  
(Whatever it is you're trying to do. You can't change the timeline! You can't interfere in your own life!)  
(Why Major, I am touched. I didn't know you cared that much about - my well-being) 

His mocking tone was the same as always as their thought-patterns intermixed. 

(What is it that you're up to?) she asked. For once she didn't react to his attempt to distract her. 

Dukat ignored her, and when his alter ego and Naprem left the bar, he followed at a distance. He couldn't kill his alter ego right now, but he had to do it - eventually. He knew it would devastate Naprem. It would be terrible for Ziyal, but that was a small price to pay If his death would somehow free Bajor. If his death would somehow free Major Kira. Then his actions would have served their purpose and be worthwhile. It would be worth the sorrow Naprem and Ziyal would feel. Perhaps even Naprem would live?

But at least - he didn't have to do it in front of Naprem. It would be hard enough for her, without having to see it 

If his memory served him right 

(Dukat!) 

Major Kira's voice struck through his thoughts and interrupted his train of thought. 

Never before had she annoyed him so much. He had hoped she wouldn't regain her conscience and follow him into the Orb of Time until it was too late. Now he had to be utterly careful not to let her know what he had in mind. 

(What?)  
(What are you planning to do?) she asked again, her voice very persistent.   
(I hope to change Bajor's future. Bajor's past ) Dukat's soft voice answered. And he started making his way out of the bar. Following his alter ego and the slender shape of the blond woman who was Tora Naprem, Ziyal's mother. 

  
(You plan to kill yourself off?) Kira asked. 

// Damn her! // Dukat thought. // She never *was* stupid! // 

(That's what you're planning to do? Isn't it?)  
He didn't answer her.   
(You can't do that!)  
(Why not? It will free Bajor. You will be rid of me, and maybe, just maybe Ziyal and Naprem will live!)

Kira turned silent and Dukat felt a pang of irritation in the pit of his stomach. Of course, she would enjoy *this*. 

// She will just love watching me kill myself. She will love not having the horrible Gul Dukat around. She will love the thought of never having to know me! //

Dukat felt rather disturbed by this fact, but it didn't stop him from continuing what he had planned. 

(You don't know that!) Kira finally commented. 

Dukat ignored her and followed the couple as they strolled along the Promenade. If his memory served him right. Naprem and himself would separate as he went to his office to pick up some things before they left for Bajor. That would be the perfect opportunity to do it. As he recalled, there were no guards, nothing. As far as he knew he had already changed the timeline, because - he realized - the Bajoran woman's body he was occupying was Lanea Tona, the woman who had tried to shoot Legate Tehour, but failed. She had tried to shoot Tehour in Quark's bar, but missed and was caught and sentenced to death by the Central Command. 

* * * 

Kira's blood was rushing. The anxiety she felt was like nothing else. It was as if she was caught in this body without any real power. She couldn't stop Dukat from following the couple. She couldn't stop him from reaching out for the gun he was carrying. She was a helpless spectator to all this 

Part of her enjoyed knowing what was going to happen. The part of her that was the hurt little girl, knowing that Dukat had stolen her mother from her when she was just a child. The part of her that knew he was responsible for countless Bajoran deaths. The part of her that hated Dukat. But the other part knew she couldn't let him go through with it. 

(No!) she cried. But Dukat didn't listen. The world turned into a blurry place and everything proceeded in slow motion as Dukat lifted his hand, called for his alter ego. 

"Dukat!"

His alter ego stopped cold, turned around and stared helplessly at the young Bajoran woman who aimed a phaser at him. Dukat had made up his mind, Naprem had left, and nobody was there to stop him. 

* * *

(NO!) Kira shouted yet again. A sudden regret flushed her mind. 

Imagine living a life without Dukat in it? Imagine a life where Dukat was never a part of her existence? What would happen to Meru? What would happen to Naprem and Ziyal - and - most importantly - what would happen to Bajor? Would the Occupation end sooner? Would the Cardassians fail sooner? Would more Bajorans be alive today if Dukat were killed?

Her eyes followed the hands of the body she was in. They aimed and pushed the trigger of the phaser. Kira couldn't believe her eyes. She watched as the phaser struck Dukat's alter ego, watched as his unbelieving eyes met her gaze. 

There was nothing she could do. Nothing she could do to stop Dukat from firing and killing his alter ego, thereby killing himself. She thought she would feel a great relief - knowing he was dead. She thought she was going to take great joy in watching his lifeless body lay sprawled on the promenade. But she didn't. 

(No!) 

  
She could tell that Dukat's mind was gone from the body she was in at the same second she watched his alter ego fall to the floor - dead. She rushed to his side, but it was too late. The future Prefect of Bajor was gone. The loss she felt at watching his dead body made her shudder. Why did she care? 

****

*** The Wounded Land - Part 4 ***

The scenery changed again. The light of the Orb overwhelmed her. Swiftly it let her shift through time. Images swizzled by her like stars at Warp Speed, not letting her stop to take it all in. But then, it slowed, halted at particular moments in time. 

She watched as the Orb was showing her a different Bajor. A Bajor she had never seen before. Her proud people and the planet were stripped of their last shred of dignity. The land flooded with Cardassian soldiers enjoying the women of Bajor. Killing their men and children without hesitation. She saw Naprem, sitting by the lifeless body of her daughter. Legate Tehour had had his eyes on her for a long time and the only thing that had stopped him from taking her was Gul Dukat. But why suffer from a half-caste child? Naprem's eyes were filled with hatred as she closed the eyes of her daughter. Ziyal was dead. 

Legate Tehour had become the Prefect of Bajor after Gul Dukat's tragic demise. And the Legate had no love lost or any respect for her people. He regarded them all like animals - treated them with less respect and *humanity* than he would with cattle. 

Another shift in time brought her to the campfire of a strange selection of people. They were pale, skinny and sitting too close to the fire - as if their shredded clothes couldn't keep them warm in the crisp autumn breeze. 

"What are we going to do?" an elderly woman cried. 

"I don't know. The assassination attempt was a failure!" a much younger man said curtly. 

"I can't understand what possessed Lanea to shoot Dukat instead?" a third voice uttered. It was a man whose voice sounded tired. His eyes were devoid of life, as if all hope had abandoned him. 

// You can't give up now! // Kira cried inside. 

"Dukat may have been a cruel man, but he was most definitely more lenient toward the Bajoran people than Legate Tehour has been since Dukat died!" the old woman said. 

"We helped Tona escape and this was her idea of repaying us?" the tired man said. 

"May the Prophets look kindly upon her actions!" the old woman whimpered. 

"She must have lost her mind. She was supposed to shoot Tehour, not Dukat!" 

The conversation kept going and Kira listened in awe. How could this be?

Tona - the woman who had shot Dukat - came from Ore processing, the tired man said. She had managed to escape, gaining help from the Shakaar Resistance. 

Kira realized with shock that these creatures, weak and hungry, huddling around the campfire was all that remained of the once proud Shakaar Resistance. She didn't recognize a single face of the people around the fire. 

"We provided her with clothes and the necessary information she needed to assassinate Legate Tehour. I don't understand how she could shoot Dukat instead? It escapes me!" 

"It is no use to dwell on it! It is over. Tehour's actions have crippled us!" 

They went on to talk about how Tehour managed to kill the entire resistance cell. Shakaar, Li Nalas, Loret Akrem - they were all gone. As if the Cardassians had known all along, exactly where to find them. Why hadn't Dukat hunted them down and killed them? 

And Lanea Tona's name was forever tarnished. She had, instead of becoming a hero, turned into a disgraceful person. Someone the mothers of Bajor used as a bad example, to scare their children. 

* * * 

The scenery switched yet another time. Showing her images of Legate Tehour driving his men to scavenge every last bit of resource that was left on her home soil. Her people were dying in masses. Plagued with starvation and various kinds of diseases. Bajor was no longer a rich planet filled with beautiful architectural buildings and lush gardens. 

No, Bajor was turned into a ruin. Fires, and radioactive contamination wounded the landscape. The cities were bombed to shreds, the people sick and disillusioned. 

// It will take centuries for Bajor to recover - if ever // Kira thought as tears rolled down her cheeks. 

What could all this mean? Did it in fact mean that Dukat had stopped his people from ruining her world? That he indeed had been an obstacle to his superiors? That he had been telling the truth all along - that he indeed had been trying to protect her world from annihilation? 

Kira screamed silently within her mind. Had she been *that* wrong about Dukat? 

* * * 

She watched as she was moved from scenery to scenery. Her heart bleeding more each moment. 

Then - suddenly she was sitting in a room. Dark, smelling from sickness and dirt. The knowledge came upon her in the shape of a whispering voice in her mind. 

// It is Naprem, Nerys. Help her! // 

Naprem was lying before her, giving birth. The water had broken, but nobody was there to help her. Something must have been wrong, because she was in pain. Naprem was pale, and her body skinny. She looked like she had been starving for months. 

Kira cried out in her agony. 

// Bajoran women aren't supposed to be in pain when they were giving birth. It is a wonderful experience! // 

And such was the truth for most Bajoran women. To bring a child to the world was beautiful. The prophets had given the daughters of Bajor a gift. They were the chosen ones and they had been blessed with ability to bring children into the world with great pleasure and joy. 

Kira crouched down in front of Ziyal's mother. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that the baby Naprem was giving birth to, was Tehour's. 

Kira was sweating as she helped Naprem's baby into the world. It should have been a miracle and a joyous occasion. But she realized as she helped Naprem give birth that this would not be a miracle. 

"Nerys?" Naprem whispered. 

"Shhh!" Kira said. She wondered how Naprem knew who she was. 

"He used me. I didn't want him to. But he used me and when I became pregnant - no longer beautiful. When he was done with me - he threw me away. Like a used handkerchief!" 

Naprem's voice was filled with hatred as she tried to tell Kira what had happened. 

"When Dukat died. So did I Tehour took me to his bed. He forced himself upon me.. "

The light in Naprem's eyes faded. 

// Naprem - No! // Kira cried. 

But here was nothing Kira could do for Naprem - or her newborn half-caste child. Legate Tehour's *bastard* son! 

Naprem died in the arms of her time-traveling Bajoran sister. With a sigh of relief on her lips, Naprem drew her last breath and was gone. 

Knowing what she now knew - what Bajor had turned into because of Legate Tehour. Because of Gul Dukat's death. Kira couldn't blame her. 

And for what it was worth, Naprem had loved Dukat and when he died she had nothing more to live for. Maybe now she would find peace among the Prophets? 

* * * 

Kira knew what she had to do. She had to go back in time. Far enough to stop Dukat from killing himself. 

No matter how badly he had treated her people. No matter what sufferings they had had to go through under Gul Dukat's reign. He had somehow saved them. Saved them from a fate worse than death. Saved them from being stripped of every shred of dignity. Saved them from letting Legate Tehour destroy Bajor for all time. 

Kira rose from the ground where Naprem lay dead before her feet. She wiped the tears and closed her eyes as the light yet again engulfed her. 

// Dukat! // she thought // You died in vain! You did not save Naprem. You did not save Ziyal. You did not save me! And most of all - you did not save Bajor!! // 

Kira knew she was partly responsible for Dukat's actions. 

// I blamed him for everything that has ever gone wrong in my life! //  
  
It was not a pleasant insight, but she knew nonetheless that it was true. 

* * * 

She 'woke up' alone. In the ruins of a city that once was the glory of Bajor. In front of her lay the Orb of Time. Somehow she knew that she was back to the time where she started out. But Dukat was gone. No trace of him could be found anywhere. And everything was different. She climbed out of the ruins and looked around. 

There was no shuttle. There was no station orbiting Bajor. The monastery was in ruins around her. Her clothes were ripped and torn, and she was hungry. So hungry that her stomach ached with a pain that made her ill. Kira leaned forward over a rock as her stomach turned inside out and she vomited. But her stomach was so empty there was nothing to throw up.

The pain made her all dizzy. She wiped her face and shuddered as she watched her hands. 

They were cold as ice and filled with red blemishes. She wasn't only hungry - she was ill, and from what she could understand - she would die soon - unless she turned back to the Orb and undid Dukat's doing. She had to stop him before he shot himself. She had to make him understand and she had to make *herself* understand. 

Kira had not yet finished the thought before dizziness overcame her. She stumbled and fell to the ground as everything turned black around her.

****

*** No Man's Land - Part 5 ***

When Kira woke up she trembled. It was so cold, so cold. Her clothes were damp and she could feel that she was running a high fever. But there was nobody around to help her. It took a while before she reoriented herself. It took a while for her to remember the grim situation she was in. But when she did, her stomach cramped. Not only because of the realization but because she was sick. She was so thirsty. She had to get up and get something to drink. After that, she would go back to the ruins and find the Orb of Time. She had to seek guidance from the Prophets to save Bajor. 

// Get up Nerys! // she encouraged herself. // Get up, and find some water! //

She knew that if she stayed there, she would surely die. And she desperately didn't want that. So she pushed herself up to standing position, but her head was spinning so fiercely that she had to squat until the spinning stopped. 

Was there no one there to help her? Where were the people she had seen? Oh yes? That was in one of the visions. 

[Visions?] 

She realized that, ever since she got out of the monastery she hadn't seen a single living being. No animals, no people. There was just herself, and the wounded land around her. 

Kira's eyes narrowed to slits as she finally managed to rise to her feet and the dizziness dissipated for a while. Her stomach felt as if it were a great big hole. She had to get something to drink, something to eat. She had to regain some kind of strength. 

Determined to do just that she began to walk. She didn't want to move too far away from the monastery, knowing that her body was in too damaged a shape for her to be sure that she would be able to get back if she wandered off too far. 

[Why would you want to go back there?]

Kira walked for what felt like hours, but it could only have been a few minutes. Her body was reluctant to cooperate but she forced herself to move on.

// There - over there - among the trees. There's got to be some water over there! Prophets! Please help me! // she prayed. 

[The Prophets have left you, Nerys. The Prophets have abandoned you - abandoned Bajor!] 

The ever present, mocking voice laughed in her head. 

[The Prophets left you because you couldn't save Dukat from himself! - It is all your fault, Nerys! You brought this on yourself. You brought this on Bajor!]

And the voice burst into a heartily laughter. Suddenly she recognized the voice. It was the voice of Naprem. And suddenly she remembered what had happened to her. 

* * *

Her life passed before her eyes. 

When she was four, her mother was taken from her by the Prefect of Bajor - Dukat: She thought she had been killed, but that wasn't true. Dukat told her this? But how could he have done that? He was dead! 

Kira's memories were beginning to fade. There was something she had to do. She had to do something that was so important. But she couldn't remember what it was. 

[Find water, Nerys!]

Oh, yes, that was it. She had to find water 

When she was twelve her father had died in a raid. That was about the same time as Gul Dukat was savagely murdered. And Legate Tehour had taken over the country. That was the beginning of the end 

// There is something else, I have to remember! // Kira fought to keep the memories. But it was as if they were drifting away from her. As if they were drained from her at the same pace as her life was dissipating from her savaged body. 

// I was thrown out! Someone named Damar was my keeper // Kira remembered. // He found out about my illness and threw me out. But that wasn't it //

Finally she reached the trees, covering the slope, leading down to the river. 

[Don't drink that, Nerys. It is poisoned]

Naprem's voice in her head was concerned. 

Oh, she remembered. She and Naprem had been there, in that Space Station - what was its name - Terok Nor? She had been Damar's Comfort Girl that was it. Naprem had died a few months ago. They had both been thrown out. She, because she had shown the first signs of the Illness, and Naprem - Naprem had been thrown out by Tehour, because she was pregnant. Oh, yes. The memory was clear in Nerys' mind now. The baby - and Naprem - had died. 

[Is that a memory?] Naprem's voice teased [Or just your overactive imagination]

// It is a memory. Please be silent. I need water! //

Clumsily Kira made her way down the slope and got closer to the water. It didn't look poisoned. In fact it seemed perfectly fine. So Kira crouched at the riverside and scooped up a hand-full of water. She drank it in greedy gulps. 

[Nerys. You will be sick!]

"I don't care! I need the water!" she screamed. Kira shuddered at the sound of her own voice. She had screamed from the top of her lungs. But all that could be heard was the craggy sound of her hoarse voice. Again she drank of the water. It tasted fine. In fact. It tasted wonderful. 

The next she knew she was crouched over and throwing it all up again. Panting, she fell to the side and fainted. 

// There is something I *have* to remember! // 

* * *

When she finally came to, the cramps in her stomach had gotten even worse. Was it because of the water? She didn't know. But apart from the cramps - she felt just a little bit better. Maybe because the sun was up, shining from a clear-blue sky sending its warm rays on her freezing body. 

[It's about time!]

"What?"

[It's about time you woke up! You have important things to do]

"What?" she repeated. 

[Don't you remember?] The voice had returned to its previous mocking tone. 

"No, I don't remember! Tell me"

But all of the sudden the voice was quiet again. 

Kira rose to her feet, waiting for the dizziness to overcome her. But this time it didn't. Maybe the water had done some good after all? She started making her way back to the monastery. This time it was light outside and she could see the landscape surrounding her. And it made her heart sink. But for some reason she steered her steps back to the monastery. She knew somehow, she had to go back there. Perhaps she would be safe there? 

The trees by the river were all dead or dying. The sky wasn't as clear-blue as she had thought. And for as far as she could see, there was no grass, no flowers. Bajor was a barren planet. Where were all the people? Had they *all* died? 

[You are alone, Nerys - completely alone. Even the Cardassians are gone. There's nothing left for them here any longer!]

Sadness gripped Kira's heart as she realized, Naprem's voice told her the truth. 

Bajor was dead. And she would be too - very soon.

***** A Paradox in Time - Part 6 *****

Kira fought for every step she took to get back to the monastery. In her mind she knew there was something she had to do. Her mind was hazy and she knew she didn't have much time. Halfway back to the temple she realized she should have brought some water with her from the river, but she was too weak to go back now. Nothing would be gained by it anyway, she thought. 

// I'll be dead within hours, no matter what. // 

Naprem's voice was gone and Kira felt strangely abandoned, as if her friend's mocking tone somehow had kept her going.

// What was with Naprem anyway? // Kira thought. // I thought we were friends and yet.. // 

The memories crashed down on her like a fist in the base of her stomach. 

// She hates me because I didn't stop him!//

* * *

[Flashback] 

"Nerys!" a voice called out from the shadows. It was Dukat's voice, trailing inside her mind like mist. 

"What do you want Dukat?" she asked, tiredly. Her body was shaking with violent fevers and Dukat hunched down beside her. 

"What a pity " he said sadly. "You could have stopped me you know " his voice trailed off as she fell into unconsciousness. 

When she woke up moments later he was still sitting by her bed. She was on the station.

"Nerys?" he said when he realized she had woke up. His voice strangely soothing. 

"Dukat? What am I doing here?" she asked. 

"I am here to bid you farewell " he said sadly. "You have the Illness. You will die. And there is nothing you can do to stop me now "

"Why do you care? Why do you bother to bid farewell to a Bajoran whore?" she spat. 

"I think you know why " he said. 

[End flashback]

* * *

Yes, the strange behavior of Naprem's voice in her mind was obvious to her now. She was trying to provoke her, trying to jog her memory of something that happened a long time ago or maybe not so long ago? She had to get back to the monastery 

Stumbling through the dried grass and wincing at every pebble that cut into her hurting feet she made her way back to the monastery. Dizziness and nausea kept fighting to take control but Nerys was strong. 

// I am a soldier - I can do this! // she told herself, not knowing where the thoughts came from. She had never been a soldier - had she? She was Damar's comfort girl. She was Damar's soon to be *dead* ex comfort girl. But there was something in that thought that jogged her memory. Something rang true She envisioned herself wearing a uniform. A red clothing, hugging every curve of her body, like a second skin. 

After what felt like hours, but what couldn't have been more than half an hour at the most, Nerys stumbled back into the ruins of the monastery. She saw the Orb of Time shining back on her like a tunnel, leading back to the Prophets' realm. How she longed to be with them. Was that the meaning of all this? She was dead, and about to join the Celestial Temple? 

Then the memory suddenly solidified itself and she knew what she had to do. Fighting the dizziness she curled up in front of the Orb and reached out to open the doors just a little more to be able to let herself be engulfed by the light emanating from the pulsing orb. In the corner of her eye she could see her hands trembling. She could see the blisters that looked like third degree burns and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that Tehour had used some kind of biological weapon to kill all life on Bajor. Now that the Cardassians had gotten what they wanted, they just wanted to get rid of every trace of what once was the proud planet of Bajor. 

Nerys knew she had to do something to stop this from happening and she looked into the orb once more and the light pulled her into its wake. 

// How does the orb know? // she wondered. // How does it always know what I seek? // 

Kira couldn't help but marvel at the capabilities of the Prophets. She sat there, breathing hard and she watched Dukat carrying her limp body into the monastery. He put her down on the floor and she watched intently, from the shadows. She knew that Dukat wasn't aware of her presence. At least not yet. So, she kept watching as he unshackled her wrists and ankles and pushed her legs together to make her more comfortable. She even watched him pull her scarce clothing down so she wouldn't lie there, revealing more of her pale body than necessary. 

Nerys, watching from the shadows wondered how she would be able to stop this, how would she be able to make Nerys see? How could she make herself understand what the truth really was? 

She crawled back toward the Orb where Dukat was hunching down before the Orb

"Dukat, no!" she begged as he reached his arms out to touch the doors. He was startled, she could tell and he swiftly turned around to point his phaser at Major Kira, but her body was still lying limp on the floor, looking like she was merely asleep. 

"Who's there?" he demanded and his eyes finally saw her huddling in the shadows. She crawled up to him, and put a hand on his arm. 

"Dukat, don't do this!" she prayed. 

He looked intently at her.

"Nerys?" he whispered. "But what? How?" 

Then he tensed and turned away from her, reaching out for the doors again. 

"Dukat!" she nearly shouted, desperate now. Suddenly she realized what he was thinking. 

"I am not one of your mind's demons, Dukat. I am real!" 

He let out a short bark, which had little resemblance to laughter. 

"And I am supposed to believe that. Just like that " he said and looked sternly at her. 

"Look at me, Dukat. Touch me "

He reached his hand out and put it against her cheek. 

"You feel like you are real" he said, his voice was wavering now. 

Nerys took his hand into her own and crawled closer. 

"You are ill " he said. 

"I am dying, there is nothing you can do for me. All you have to do is listen "

Nerys' memories had come back to her the moment the Orb sucked her into its dimension and she started reciting to Dukat everything that happened. 

"You can't go back. You can't kill yourself. If you do, you will end up putting us all in an even worse situation than we were in "

"But "

"Dukat!" she shouted, and he fell silent. "If you do this, Tehour will shoot Ziyal, cold-bloodedly in front of Naprem! Naprem will end up in Tehour's bed and be shunned when she gets pregnant. I will become Damar's concubine. I am sure you find this prospect very amusing. But listen to me Dukat. Everyone you are trying to save will end up suffering even worse. Even Bajor will suffer even worse. Bajor will die You can't let this happen "

Dukat stared at her. 

"But I don't want to live. I don't want to be the cause of Bajor's suffering any longer! I refuse to put myself in this position. I will be better off dead!" he shouted. 

"Damn you, Dukat!" she spat. "That was all that ever really mattered to you, wasn't it? That you are okay? You have to live. I never thought I would say this, but you saved Bajor from a fate worse than what it suffered under your reign."

She laughed humorlessly. 

"Who would have thought? Gul Dukat - The Prefect of Bajor - a blessing in disguise " 

"Allright. But if I don't you will have to do me a favor. You have to tell Major Kira this. If I don't go back in time and shoot myself - I take it I succeeded!" he said with a wry smile. 

"But if I don't do this, she will never know "

"What is that to you anyway, Dukat?" Nerys asked. 

Dukat tilted his head and looked at her intently. 

"Surely you know what that means to me, Nerys. Surely you know what *you* mean to me." 

Nerys looked down at her own body. Still sound asleep. 

"I will do this, Dukat. But not for you - for myself. And I doubt it will make a difference to her. It might have for me but she will never get to experience what I have" 

Dukat looked at her. His gaze seared into her soul. 

"I guess that will have to do. Do you forgive me for what I did, during the Occupation?" he asked. 

Nerys nodded. 

"Say it Nerys. Please say it because I really need to hear it "   
"I forgive you Dukat, I forgive you, because in some twisted way, you saved Bajor from annihilation "

* * *

Kira woke up to the feeling of a cold floor underneath her stiff body. Slowly she sat up from the floor. Nausea and dizziness fought to regain control over her and she swallowed hard to overcome the unsettling feelings. Slowly her vision came back to her and she swept the surroundings only to find two creatures sitting on the floor in front of the Orb of Time. One was clearly Dukat - but the other? It took a while before Major Kira could determine the woman's features but then she realized. 

// It's me // 

[Surely you know what that means to me, Nerys. Surely you know what *you* mean to me.] 

[I will do this, Dukat. But not for you - for myself. And I doubt it will make a difference to her. It might have for me but she will never get to experience what I have] 

[I guess that will have to do. Do you forgive me for what I did, during the Occupation?]   
[Say it Nerys. Please say it because I really need to hear it]  
[I forgive you Dukat, I forgive you, because in some twisted way, you saved Bajor from annihilation]

Was she hearing right? Was she sitting there *forgiving* Dukat?

// No, that isn't *me*! Maybe it is some Kira from one of those Alternate Universes? // she thought. 

She tried to rise but the nausea almost overcame her and she moaned out loud. In the corner of her eye, she could see Dukat leaping to his feet. In a split second he was by her side, helping her to keep her balance. 

"Ah, Major. I see that you are awake. There is someone here that I want you to meet."

***** Passing Through - Part 7 *****

Kira shook off his hands. She couldn't stand it when he touched her. 

"Let go, Dukat! Haven't you done enough?" 

"I am merely trying to help. You seem rather - weak!"

"And whose fault is that?" she growled. 

"Nerys " 

It was strange to hear her own voice calling her by name. Two separate beings and still the same? It made her feel lightheaded. 

"Come sit with me."

Kira almost fell down on the floor beside her counterpart. She looked pale, weak, starved and very ill. Kira let her eyes travel over the image of herself and watched the horrible burns on her body, the dirty clothes and the lifeless eyes. Her counterpart lifted her gaze and looked at Dukat. 

"Would you please leave us alone for a while, Dukat?" she asked of him. 

Dukat obviously hesitated, then he nodded and strode out of the monastery. Then her counterpart looked intently at her and said. 

"Now, Nerys. You have to listen to me *very* carefully. I am hoping you will take this to heart and believe what I tell you, because if you don't believe *me* - then who can you trust in this world?" 

Kira nodded briefly and watched her counterpart as she started coughing violently. Blood trickled through the corner of her mouth and she had to lean forward to do something. There wasn't much she *could* do however. Her counterpart was clearly dying and it was strange to see this. Strange and highly unsettling. 

"I think you better tell me what happened" Kira said. Her voice was trembling as she helped her counterpart lean against a wall to make her as comfortable as possible under the strange circumstances. 

And her counterpart started telling her what happened. Everything from the very moment she woke up on the floor, watching Dukat as he was engulfed in the light from the Orb of Time. 

"I couldn't let him do it" she explained. "So I went after him. And Dukat's intention was very clear. He intended to kill himself."

Kira flinched at this revelation but she didn't say anything. She just kept listening as the other woman went on to tell her about the failure about the time-shifts made with the help of the orb and how she finally had ended up in the monastery in close proximity of it. 

"It was horrible, Nerys. You have never seen anything like it. Bajor was dying around me. There was no one else alive but me. Legate Tehour had made sure of that!"

"It sounds to me you hate Tehour even more than I hate Dukat " Nerys said mildly. 

"Yes, I do. And you know what I learned the hatred you feel for Dukat is misplaced. He might not be a good man. But he is not purely evil. He has done some good things for Bajor!"   
"And what part is that?" Nerys cried out in anger and jumped to her feet. "The murdering? The whipping? The forced labor camps? Taking my mother away from me? What part is the good deeds he did for Bajor?"

Her counterpart looked sadly at her. 

"He saved Bajor from Tehour, and from some of the other Cardassians' intentions for our world." she said simply. "And whatever else he may have done, that was a good deed. He must have done something to prevent *this* from happening, she said and looked at herself. Her hands, which were now producing a sickly colored liquid, her starved body and scarred arms, proof that she numerous times had tried to get out of her miserable existence but failed. 

"Look at me, Nerys. In the timeline I was in I was the last of Bajor! I was all that was left. Tehour was only too happy to follow the orders of the Central Command and annihilate every last shred of life on Bajor! Dukat would *never* have done that!" 

Kira started pacing. She didn't want to hear this. She didn't want to find out that Dukat may have some redeeming qualities. She had grown used to hating him and she had wanted to kill him for so long that she couldn't accept the fact that her deep hatred for him might be slightly misplaced. Might even be uncalled for 

Her counterpart started coughing again. And it kept on and on and on until Kira crouched down beside her and pulled her into her lap. 

"Nerys" she whispered. "Oh Nerys, what have you been through?" 

"I have seen Bajor. A Bajor abandoned by the Prophets" she sighed and then her body went limp in Kira's lap. She was gone. 

Kira sat there, for a long, long time. Rocking the body of her counterpart in her lap. Silent tears ran down her face. Not only because of her death, but because of what she had said. Could it all be true? Kira had almost no recollection of a Cardassian Legate named Tehour. Hadn't he died in a fight with the Shakaar Resistance only months before the Occupation ended? She had only met Tehour once. And what she could recall had no resemblance to the man her counterpart had described. Was it because Dukat had died and he had seen the opportunity to seize the moment? Had he been the high-ranking officer on Terok Nor when Dukat had shot himself in the shape of Lanea Tona? Had Dukat indeed by killing himself gotten rid of the only salvation Bajor had? 

What would have happened if all those numerous attempts on Dukat's life by her resistance cell had succeeded? Would they have sentenced Bajor to an even worse fate?

"Major?"

Dukat's soft voice reached her traveling mind. 

"Major. I am sorry to disturb you, but I would like us to leave now?"

Kira rose from the floor and folded the limp body of the other Kira Nerys into the typical Bajoran way of paying respect to the dead. Closed eyes and arms neatly crossed over the chest so both arms clasped the opposite shoulder. 

"Oh, I see " Dukat said silently. "I am sorry Nerys, this must have been an ordeal for you."

"No worse than being kidnapped by you!" she muttered. But the usual sting to her voice was gone. 

"What shall we do with her body?" Dukat wondered. 

At that very instance, the doors of the Orb of Time opened on their own accord and flooded the body of the dead Bajoran female. Slowly it disappeared before their eyes and it was as if Kira's counterpart had never existed. She rose to her feet and Dukat continued. 

"Well, I guess that settles that " 

Suddenly Kira's legs gave way under her and Dukat leapt to her side in one fluid movement. He caught her before she fell and hurt herself. He lifted her up in his arms and said. 

"It seems I will have to carry you back to the shuttle, just as I carried you here. What an irony!" he said. 

"Where are you taking me?" she asked. 

"Why, back to DS9 of course!" Dukat said as if it was the obvious answer. 

"What are you planning to do?"

Kira's voice was weak and she was drained. Both physically and emotionally. Dukat didn't answer, he just carried her through the monastery, out among the trees and followed the path which led them to the glade where he had put down the Ferengi shuttle. He carefully put her down on the ground. 

"Lean against me if you have to, Major. But I must open the door. I put a security lock on it just in case some of your *friends* should find us." 

* * *

Kira could do nothing but oblige and she leaned against the strong Cardassian body. No matter how much she would have wanted to stand on her own, she was simply not strong enough. 

"There!" he said and swept her up in his arms again and carried her into the shuttlecraft and sat her down on one of the chairs. Then he sat in the other chair. 

"I hope you are comfortable there. As soon as we are out of Bajoran space I will help you."

"I thought you said we would go back to Deep Space Nine" she said with only a hint of rebellion in her voice. 

"We are, Major. Don't worry. You really have to learn to trust me" he said with a taunting smile. Kira laughed dryly at his comment. 

"Trust you? You must be joking."

"Yes, as a matter of fact I was. I am glad to see that you haven't entirely lost your sense of humor, Major!" he said and grinned widely. 

Then the shuttle lifted from the ground and minutes later they were on their way. When Dukat activated the autopilot after once again making sure the scatteringfield was in place to disturb the Bajoran sensor to avoid detection he rose from the chair and strode toward the replicator. 

"One bowl of Terran Chicken Soup" he stated. Then he took the bowl over to her and said. 

"Are you strong enough to eat this on your own? I have noticed that Terran Chicken Soup is a good dish when you are feeling - bad." 

Kira nodded and accepted the bowl he offered her for what it was. Food - much needed food. 

"How long have we been gone from the station?" she asked. 

Dukat looked at her and smiled. 

"It feels like a lifetime doesn't it? But I doubt your friends have even found out that you are missing. We have been gone for less than four hours. Your morning shift on Deep Space Nine doesn't begin in five more hours. 

Kira ate in silence and pondered this while Dukat sat in his chair watching her intently. 

"Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked. 

"Oh, but you are such a delicious sight, my dear Major" he said and his gaze grew even more intense. 

Kira felt a tingling feeling running down her spine as Dukat kept watching her with definite desire. He had never made any attempt to hide his feelings for her. But he had never looked at her that way either. 

"You're making me nervous, Dukat!" she spat and put down the bowl of soup on the free space next to the computer panel. 

"Oh, now Major. Surely many men must have looked at you like this without making you nervous? What is it about me that makes you so uneasy?" he asked and leaned forward. 

"Well for one. I am usually more *dressed* in the company of most men!" she muttered. 

"Oh, I see. So the only reason you find my gaze uncomfortable is that lack of clothing?" he said curiously. "That means you wouldn't mind if I look at you this way if you are wearing clothes?" 

Before she could answer, Dukat walked over to the replicator and ordered clothes for her. Her mouth fell open as he ordered a perfect replica of the Bajoran military uniform and the exact right size to. Then he crossed the short distance between them with a couple of long steps and cordially handed her the uniform. 

"There you go. I sincerely hope this will make you feel better! I'll turn my back while you dress if you feel that is necessary. I assure you Major, I will not attempt to peep" he teassed her with laughter in his eyes. 

To her surprise, Dukat actually did turn his back on her while she quickly slipped into the uniform. But that didn't stop her from feeling completely vulnerable, because he was sitting so close to her while she stood there, almost naked. Not even the comfort of the clothes, once she put them on, made her feel much better. In fact, when Dukat turned around and kept looking at her the exact same way, she didn't feel any difference at all. She had no idea what was going on. 

"What happens now, Dukat?" she queried, trying to ignore his look. 

"Ah, we are approaching the station now, Major" he explained. "I suggest we beam in." 

"But"

"But what; Major?" he wondered and his pale-blue eyes stared into her brown and she thought he would never let go of her gaze. She didn't answer. But she wondered what she was about to say? Was she about to say that he would be captured and put in the brig if he showed up on Deep Space Nine? So? He knew that, just as well as she did.

A sudden tickling feeling told her that Dukat had activated the transporter and they suddenly appeared in Ops. 

**The End**

   [1]: mailto:kira-nerys@geocitiescom
   [2]: #Part 1
   [3]: #Part 2
   [4]: #Part 3
   [5]: #Part 4
   [6]: #Part 5
   [7]: #Part 6
   [8]: #Part 7



End file.
